TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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Missing parts, Ulm falls in Paderborn!
Even with a terrific offensive effort, ratiopharm Ulm could not overcome their missing parts in Friday nights 101-91 road loss to digibu Baskets Paderborn at Sportszentrum Maspernplatz. Despite playing without key players Konrad Wysocki, Bryan Lucas and Emeka Erege, ratiopharm Ulm jump-started their engines with a second quarter run resulting in a 58-51 halftime lead. Paderborn's third quarter run and Ulm's loss of both All Star power forward Jeff Gibbs and starting center Sean Finn to five fouls turned momentum to the hosts as Paderborn took a 79-72 lead into the fourth.
ratiopharm Ulm's Dru Joyce protects the basketball from Paderborn's pressuring Tim Black. Dru scored 16 points with 10 assists in a terrific effort for Ulm.
Click here for Photo Gallery from www.Paderline.com
Entering game, Ulm prepared for the shorthanded effort ahead without hardworking post man Bryan Lucas who injured a leg in last weeks loss to Oldenburg. Also banged up from the Oldenburg game was All Star small forward Konrad Wysocki who was a game-time decision with a slightly injured knee. After warmups and a strong effort to play, Wysocki and medical staff decided it was best for rest. Without Lucas, Wysocki and captain Emeka Erege, Ulm would turn to their bench for a boost. Inserting Romeo Travis into the starting lineup, hardworking team players such as Florian Mobius and Jan Sprunken would also take more part in the rotation. Focused for a strong team effort to overcome the missing pieces, Ulm enjoyed their 5 hour bus trip north to Paderborn through a beautiful German spring day.
photo Reinhard Ebmeyer
Ulm's Sean Finn skies for a rebound over Paderborn's Nathan Peavy in Friday nights action. Finn posted a 16 point 6 rebound night before fouling out early in the fourth.
At tip off, both teams caught fire. Steve Esterkamp cut backdoor for an easy score then drilled his first three from the right wing. Instantly, Esterkamp went crazy scoring 19 points in the first quarter on a perfect 5 for 5 three point shooting. Using screens with textbook basketball brilliance, Esterkamp sparked a 35 point first quarter explosion for Paderborn by coming out on fire. On the other end, ratiopharm Ulm found their offensive rhythm as well. With excellent inside play from Sean Finn and accurate shooting from EJ Gallup and Dru Joyce, Ulm kept pace in the uptempo game and finished the first ten minutes trailing 35-28. Both teams were on fire as Paderborn shot a sizzling 88% from the floor while Ulm hit 73%. The exciting offensive game was fantastic for fans, but both teams focused on staying hot and stopping their opponent.
Looking for a way to cool Esterkamp in quarter two, Ulm's defensive adjustements helped. Ulm stormed back in the second quarter and took the lead. Romeo Travis and Sean Finn scored effectively inside and EJ Gallup continued his offensive attack. Romeo scored 7 straight points to spark the Ulm offense. With five minutes remaining in the half, Ulm held their first lead at 42-41. Minutes later, Ulm's largest lead was 9, 51-42. Ulm got solid minutes off the bench from Florian Mobius, Jan Sprunken and Sebasitan Betz. Sprunken buried a beautiful high-arching right wing three to give Ulm a boost late in the first half. At the half, Ulm's 58-51 advantage was a tribute to the teams compeitiveness. After withstanding the early Paderborn on-slaught, Ulm recorded defensive stops and continued to score. The fastpaced action provided a fun flow for both teams and showcased the talents of players on both teams.
Ulm and Paderborn provided fans at Sportszentrum Maspernplatz with an entertaining evening of fastbreaking basketball action.
At halftime, Ulm discussed important aspects of their defensive performance from the first half. Looking for improvement in several areas over the next twenty minutes, Ulm felt good about their second quarter run that helped them overcome the slow defensive start. Aiming to incorporate All Star power forward Jeff Gibbs into the game and interested in bench production, Ulm returned to the floor ready for another exciting 20 mintues.
Ulm's Jeff Gibbs works in the post against Paderborn's Marius Nolte Friday night. Ulm's All Star power forward fouled out early in the third quarter on consecutive moving screen calls.
Opening the second half, Paderborn immediately had the better of the play. In less than two minutes game time, Ulm's lead evaporated and Paderborn was up one 59-58. Ulm's timeout alerted the team about the situation. Greg Jenkins established the paint for Paderborn and foul trouble hit Ulm. With 2 minutes remaining in the third, Ulm All Star Power Forward Jeff Gibbs was whistled for a fifth foul on a second moving screen. Upset with the officials, Ulm head coach Mike Taylor received a technical foul. Paderborn collected the points and added to their run. With momentum, Paderborn took a 7 point lead into the fourth quarter while Ulm entered the last quarter without Jeff Gibbs and the rest of his injured teammates.
ratiopharm Ulm forward Romeo Travis releases a free throw in the first half of Friday nights game in Paderborn. The talented wing from Akron led the Ulm offense with a strong 23 point 10 rebound performance!
Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Ulm lost center Sean Finn to five fouls. After trimming the deficit to 3, 79-76, Ulm's Finn fouled out. Over the next 8 minutes, Ulm played without injured players Emeka Erege, Konrad Wysocki and Bryan Lucas and losing Jeff Gibbs and Sean Finn to fouls. With only Florian Mobius in the frontcourt, Ulm adjusted their lineup and focused on a fourth quater comeback. Unfortunately for Ulm, the make-shift six player lineup could not overcome the losses and Paderborn earned a solid 101-91 home win.
Romeo Travis led Ulm's attack with a strong 23 point 12 rebound effort in his first start for Ulm. EJ Gallup added 21 points and Sean Finn 16 points 6 rebounds. Dru Joyce posted a 16 point 10 assist double double. Ulm shot 57% from the floor and made 9 of 21 (42%) in the loss. Steve Esterkamp led Paderborn with a game high 34 points on 7 of 10 three point shooting. Greg Jenkins added 23 points on 11 for 13 from the floor and Tim Black chipped in 21 points 10 assists in the win. Paderborn shot 54% from the floor and made 9 of 18 threes while outrebounding Ulm 32-31. Paderborn's 18 for 26 from the foul line (69%) was a big advantage to Ulm's 6 fo 10.
Post game Press conference in Paderborn.
Ulm completes the double Game Day weekend with a home game against reigning German champion brose Baskets Bamberg Sunday afternoon at Sportszentrum Kuhberg. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
